


Fall Into Me

by kaybohls



Series: Working Holiday [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bad First Impressions, Campfires, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Han Solo is an accidental cockblocker, Leia Organa is a meddling mother, Reylo - Freeform, S'mores, Smut, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Dinner, Workplace Relationship, awkward first impressions, shameless flirting, thanksgiving smut, two hand touch football
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-08-06 05:42:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16382462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaybohls/pseuds/kaybohls
Summary: Rey Kenobi has worked her ass off to transform herself from the little girl who was found scavenging for food in restaurant dumpsters to the publishing powerhouse that she was today.  After landing a coveted internship under the legendary Leia Organa-Solo, it doesn't take long for Rey to climb the company ladder and be bumped to the junior editor of a successful book series.  But there's a catch.A six-foot-three, infuriatingly good looking, asshole of a catch.When she gets invited to Thanksgiving with the Organa-Solos, things go a lot differently than Rey anticipated.





	1. There Will Be Pie

**Author's Note:**

> The wonderful little plot bunny went a little out of control with it's burrowing! I hope you all love Thanksgiving with the Organa-Solos as much as I do!
> 
> **edit on 01/02/2019
> 
> Popped back to split this 11K monster into more manageable chapters, complete with new mood boards!!

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/144005946@N02/45662893135/in/dateposted-public/)

 

 

Rey’s eyebrows raised high into her hair as she looked up through her windshield at the towering house at the end of the long driveway she’d been winding her her Mini Cooper down for the better part of the last few minutes. She knew that the Solo’s had a nice house but she didn’t expect this. A massive, white colonial-manor rose up to meet her as the nearly bare trees lining the driveway swayed in the wind blowing in from Lake Michigan. She pulled around the circular drive to the front of the large house and parked her Mini Cooper at the end of a row of other cars. She saw Poe’s orange and white FR-7 parked ahead of her, a white Mercedes that belonged to Leia, a sleek silver-blue Stingray that was most definitely Han’s, and a mean-looking black and red Range Rover that she didn’t recognize.

_Shit fuck._

He was here. He was most definitely here. She’d never seen the car before but somehow she knew it was his. She gripped her hands at ten-and-two and laid her forehead in between them on the steering wheel, arguing with her inner-self,

_I can’t. I can’t do it. Today was supposed to be fun. It was supposed to be relaxing. It will be the opposite of relaxing if he’s here._

She thudded her head against the steering wheel in frustration. 

_Oh, but Leia. She’ll call me. She’ll keep calling me. She’ll guilt me into coming. I’ve never let her down ever before. She would never let me hear the end of it._

“Fuck it all,” she muttered, switching the engine off and opening the door, swinging her leg out of the door and climbing out. She leaned against the Union Jack on top of her Mini and let out an exasperated sigh, “This pie better be worth it.”

Rey stepped up the pumpkin and mum-lined steps, straightened her camel-colored leather jacket, and reached out to ring the bell.

 

__________________________________________________

 

Rey Kenobi had been working at Republic Publishing House for the last three years. During her senior year at University of Chicago, she landed a coveted internship at the renowned publishing company. During her time there, she caught the eye of the Publisher and founder, Leia Organa-Solo. As her internship came to a close, the publishing legend offered Rey a job as her assistant. After graduation, she officially joined the team.

She spent her days in a wonderful routine. Walk from her flat in Old Town to the “L”, take the Brown Line downtown and walk from the station to the gargantuan skyscraper that was Willis Tower. She remembered the first time she had ever laid eyes on the massive black building, craning her neck to try and see the dizzyingly high tips of the white spires that adorned the very top of the structure. 

Rey would scan her badge, hop in the elevator and make her way to the sixty-sixth floor that RPH called it’s home.

It didn’t take long for Rey to prove to Leia that she was an instrumental part of RPH. She and Leia quickly developed almost mother-daughter relationship. Rey anticipated Leia’s every move and was rewarded with sweet camaraderie between her and the older woman. A year and a half into her time at RPH, Leia promoted her to junior editor. Rey was over the moon about her advancement so early in her career. 

But, there was a catch.

 

A six-foot-three, dark haired, infuriatingly good looking, asshole of a catch. 

 

Rey’s first project was the seventh book in a massively popular fantasy series with a notoriously difficult author. Leia wanted to put some fresh new eyes on the project to try and spur the author into delivering his chapters faster than he had been doing for his old editors. 

Leia called a meeting to facilitate a hand off between the new team and the old. Rey knew that she would be paired with a senior editor who she hadn’t met yet. She was early to the meeting, as always. Normally, she was the first person in the conference room and would take advantage of the few moments of quiet to catch up on reading. To her surprise, someone was already waiting inside.

A man dressed head to toe in black was slouched over in one of the conference chairs, a pair of dark Ray-Bans perched on top of his long nose. A curtain of dark hair hung over his face and he had his arms crossed over his chest. She saw a charcoal suit-jacket slung over the back of his chair. His tie was loose and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, exposing brawny, muscular forearms. 

She hesitated before setting down her iPad on the mahogany conference table, swinging by the snack cart to grab a scone and a cup of tea. 

Wandering back to the conference table, she set down her things and settled into her chair,

 

“I haven’t seen you here before, are you new?” 

 

He shifted in his chair but didn’t answer.

 

_Ooookay. That’s odd._

 

“I’m Rey,” she held out a hand as a greeting. He let out a heavy sigh and turned his head away from her, not saying a word.

 

_Wanker._

 

She shrugged off his rude behavior and moved her attention towards her iPad and setting up her keyboard so she could take notes during the meeting. Just as she was finishing up and was beginning to dig into her scone, several people filtered into the conference room. She felt a warm hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Leia’s smiling face looking down at her,

“Hey Sunshine, good morning. I see you’ve met Ben,” she nodded towards the man slouched next to her.

 

_I wouldn’t say met..._

 

Leia walked around her and bumped the man’s shoulder,

 

“Care to join us?” she chuckled as he immediately jumped up in his chair. He snatched the sunglasses off his nose and ran a hand through his long, dark hair, “Now that you’re paying attention, I’d like you to meet Rey. Rey, this is my son, Ben,”

 

“Pleased to meet you,” he stated with a rumble, holding out a large hand in greeting. Rey looked at his proffered hand and then promptly turned her attention back to her iPad,

 

“Yes, I do believe I’ve made this introduction before,” she sniffed and Ben withdrew his hand with a grimace.

 

____________________________________________

 

“So where’s your statue?” a deep baritone voice grumbled from behind her. Rey spun around incredulously, coming face to face with the speaker and lost her breath. Ben Solo stood a little too close, smiling smugly down at her,

 

“Pardon me?” she questioned, “My what?”

 

“Your statue. Someone as righteous as you must have a statue or a plaque or something hanging around here someplace,” he glanced around the office with a smirk.

 

“You have a lot of nerve for someone whose job was bought for them by their mother,” Rey spat. Ben’s eyes flashed and he took a step closer to her, barely a breath away.

 

“Boy, this is off to a good start,” a familiar alto stated behind them. Leia sidled up to the pair with her new assistant, Rose, trailing behind her. Ben backed away quickly and exasperatedly ran a hand through his hair, “I was hoping that you two would have had a better first impression but I suppose this will have to do. Hopefully you two can get along better as you get to know each other during your time together on this project.”

“Together?!” 

_Oh, you have got to be kidding me…_

 

___________________________

 

Leia’s plan to introduce her son to the sweet British girl she adored initially backfired on her. When Ben came home to RPH after leaving the crumbling remains of their rival, First Order Publishing, she was hopeful that there would be immediate sparks between her boy and her Rey of light. Their first meeting didn’t go well. The first few weeks that they worked together were tumultuous to say the least. Leia would walk past Ben’s office and see the two of them arguing or see Ben storm down the hall with a thunderous look on his face. Their dynamic reminded her of how it was when Leia first met her husband, Han. Their personalities were like fire and ice. It would take time for them to finally meld together and she was confident that it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Over time Leia noticed that the ice between them finally started to melt. There would be lingering touches on shoulders. Ben would lean in closely to look over Rey’s shoulder at what she was working on and she wouldn’t balk at the sudden closeness. She watched with a smug satisfaction as both of them would give lingering glances to the other as they walked away. 

The pair had been working well together on their shared project for nearly eighteen months when Leia knew it was time for the next step in her plan.

“You wanted to see me, Leia?” Rey peeked her head into the older woman’s office, smiling warmly.

“Hey Sunshine! Poe and I were just finishing up, come on in,” Leia beamed, waving her inside, “If you could get me those revised covers by the end of next week, that would be great, Poe.”

“Sure thing, boss. I’ll see you all tomorrow. The Packers are going to get pummeled tomorrow, Bear down!” he exclaimed with a fist in the air, “Hey Sunshine,” he threw Rey a sly wink and a dashing smile as he slid past her in the doorway. Rey’s cheeks flushed at the attention before shaking the feeling away and shifting her focus to her mentor,

 

“What’s tomorrow?”

 

“That’s what I wanted to speak to you about, actually. Do you have any plans?”

 

“Just hang out at home and probably read through the new chapters I got today. I don’t have any traditions and no family to spend the day with,” Rey shrugged.

 

“Nonsense. You’re coming to Thanksgiving with us,” before Rey could protest that it wasn’t really necessary to invite her, Leia continued, “We’ll have a nice big dinner. You know, Han has become quite the chef since he retired from the Navy. We’ll watch the game, maybe play some football and have a campfire.”

“Leia, I would really hate to be a burden to you,” Rey tried to argue but it was no use.

“There will be pie.”

“Pie?” her sweet tooth spoke up for her.

 

“Lot’s of pie,” Leia chucked.

 

“Okay, I’m in,” Rey laughed, finally giving in. It couldn’t be too bad if there was pie.

 

___________________________

 

Rey anxiously stared down at her black converses and fidgeted with her blue flannel scarf as she waited for someone to answer the bell. The door swung open and she looked up with a radiant smile as she was swept down into the arms of Leia,

“Sunshine! I’m so happy you are here. I hope you found us okay.”

“Traffic wasn’t too bad, thankfully,” Rey smiled.

“Come in, come in” Leia stepped aside and led her into an elegant foyer. Rey unwound her scarf and shrugged off her jacket, hanging them on a mahogany coat rack. She adjusted her cream-colored sweater so that it settled diagonally across her collarbones, leaving one of her shoulders bare,

“Your home is beautiful,” she murmured, admiring the shining black and white marble floors.

“Thank you dear. We really love being able to call this little paradise outside the city ours. Han is in the kitchen, let’s go see how that turkey is coming,” she answered. Rey followed her through a doorway in the back of the house into a massive kitchen and looked around, completely gobsmacked. It was nearly the size of her entire studio apartment, Industrial sized stainless steel refrigerators gleamed in the early afternoon light, taking up nearly an entire wall. The black and white floors continued into the glorious kitchen and blended perfectly against the crisp, white cabinets. Leia’s husband, Han was wiping up the white marble island countertop with a towel, grinning from ear to ear when he saw Rey,

“Hey kid, good to see you out of the office for once!” he boomed, sweeping her up into a bone-crushing hug.

 

“It’s good to be here,” Rey grinned, “It smells fantastic, I can’t wait for dinner. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“I’ve got it pretty well handled, if you want, the boys are downstairs in the bar playing billiards and talking about the game, I think. It’s getting pretty heated down there, tread carefully with those Packer fans,” he winked over her head at Leia.

“At least we aren’t sore losers like you Bears fans,” Leia scowled at Han before turning to smile at the tall figure that came through the doorway behind her to wrap her up in a half hug,

“Hey Mom,” Ben Solo rumbled, pressing a kiss into his mother’s hair. For Rey, it was strangely refreshing to see such tenderness coming from him. The Ben she had gotten used to at work was never short of a sarcastic comment or some snide joke. True, there had been a few rare moments when he wasn’t completely insufferable. Yes, they made a pretty good team when they weren’t bickering. And maybe there had been a moment or two that she shivered when he leaned over her shoulder to see what she was working on and he was close enough to her to feel the heat coming off of his body and his breath on her skin. Maybe a few of those moments led to late nights where that heat would linger in her mind and pool deep in her belly. The fact that he was a secret Mama’s boy didn’t change the fact that he was a complete jackass. Most of the time. 

Ben looked up and finally noticed that Rey was in the room. She gave a bashful half smile and a lame wave,

“Hi Ben,” she said awkwardly.

 

The sweet smile he reserved for his mother melted away, his eyebrows raising towards his hairline,

 

“Oh, it’s you. Cats kick you out?”

 

_See? Total jackass._

 

“Sorry I wasn’t the hooker you probably ordered,” she replied snidely.

 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Leia stepped between them, placing a hand on her son’s shoulder, “you two need to play nice today. House rules.”

 

“Whatever you say, boss,” Ben said, rolling his eyes, “I’ll be good as long as I can have a drink. Are you drinking, Rey?”

“Sure, yeah, I’ll have a beer,” she nodded. 

 

Leia watched carefully as Rey followed Ben through the door down to the bar. Her husband came up to her and bumped her with his hip,

 

“Do you think it will work?”

 

“We’ll have to see, but I have high hopes.”

 

_____________________________

 

Ben led Rey down the back hallway in the house to a sweeping staircase. He placed a hand on the small of her back, guiding her down the stairs in front of him. He probably left his hand there a little too long but the gesture felt natural to him, like his hand belonged there. They reached the bottom of the stairs and he kept his hand stationed on her back until they rounded the corner into the bar where he reluctantly pulled his hand away. He wished the warmth from her body would stay on the tips of his fingers for forever. He watched her eyes widen as she took in the mahogany-filled room. A massive bar lined the far wall, a huge flat-screen mounted on the wall was displaying the football game, and a luxurious pool table was surrounded by other guests,

“Hey! Sunshine!” Poe Dameron exclaimed, arms wide as he sauntered towards Rey to sweep her up in a lingering hug. Ben pursed his lips as he tried to keep his cool.

_Keep your hands off her, you fucking tool._

Ben walked over to the bar and pulled out a pair glasses to fill from the tap. He glowered silently as he watched Poe place his hand in the same place his had rested only moments before, moving Rey towards the pool table and handing her a pool cue. He tipped the glass up to the spout and fumed as he saw Poe run his hand down her arm and press his cheek up against hers to help her line up the shot to break the racked balls. He wanted to be the man who had his body up against hers but he was certain she hated him. He knew that he was always far from kind to her but he enjoyed their snarky banter. He had wanted her from the moment her first laid eyes on her that day in the conference room. After their initial tumultuous meeting, it turned out that they made a great team. After a few weeks together, he found himself finding excuses to be close to her. He would lean in and peer over her shoulder at what she was working on, letting his chest brush up against her back and feel the tickle of her hair alongside his chin. The smell of lavender would assault his senses and he would revel in every second that he was next to her. 

Ben leaned up against the bar, nursed his beer and kept his eyes on Rey as she sashayed around the pool table. He studied the graceful lines of her body as she bent herself over the table to take her next shot. He imagined that he could run his hands over the subtle curves of her ass, up her back to guide her cue to the right position and whisper in her ear how badly he wanted to take her on top of that table. He’d nip the tender edge of her earlobe and gently brush the hair off of her neck to press a tender kiss into the soft skin where her neck met her shoulder. 

“Ah, is that the twat who makes your life a living hell at work?” a snide voice interrupted his glorious daydream. Ben looked down at the ginger-haired man, Hux, an old friend from First Order Publishing. They formed a reluctant camaraderie while First Order Publishing crumbled and Hux was one of the only people he sort of considered a friend. He wished to himself that he had never complained to him about Rey in the first few weeks of their partnership at work,

“She isn’t, not usually,” he shrugged as he reverted his gaze back towards the girl in question.

“Whatever you say, Solo, but I won’t forget how you told me about how she had barely begun her career in publishing and was handed a junior editor position. We both know that that job should have been mine and not gone to the Teacher’s Pet,” Hux sneered.

Ben shrugged off the remarks and continued watch Rey as she pocketed the eight-ball on her final shot, winning the game. She jumped up and smiled triumphantly. She hung up her cue and wandered over to a wall hung with old pictures and awards from Han’s time in the Navy. 

Ben walked over to where she was standing and handed her a beer,

“Who’s this with your dad?” she inquired, nodding at the picture on the wall in front of her as she took a long drink from her glass. The picture featured a young Han next to a taller man leaning down with his arm around the older Solo’s shoulders. The two men were standing in front of a massive fighter jet with wide grins on their faces,

“That’s my Uncle Charles, he goes by Chewie. He was my dad’s copilot way back and they’ve been stuck together ever since,” Ben smiled, “He’s an instructor at TOPGUN now, or he’d be here today. You wouldn’t be able to miss him, we’d be able to hear him roaring all the way down here.”

“It must have been nice for you, growing up with such a great group of wonderful people around you.”

“It wasn’t all that bad, no,” he gave her a half smile. Their eyes met, and for a moment, he gazed into hers, silently counting the flecks of gold amongst the green, all others in the room forgotten, “Rey…”

“Dinner time!!” Han’s voice echoed down into the bar. Ben reluctantly tore his gaze away from Rey’s to look towards the stairs and when he looked back, she was already gone.

 

_______________________________

 

Dinner was a joyous affair. Rey had never seen a table so full of food. Han had completely outdone himself with everything from the biggest turkey she’d seen in her whole life, to a heaping bowl of mashed potatoes, yams, roasted Brussels sprouts, stuffing, gravy, rolls and more. Rey piled as much food as she could on her plate. She ate twice as fast as everyone else and then went to go back for seconds. And thirds. Other guests had arrived while she had been playing pool with Poe in the bar downstairs. Ben’s uncle, Luke, had joined his sister Leia and her husband in the kitchen shortly after Rey had wandered downstairs with the boys. Leia’s assistant, Rose, had also brought her boyfriend, Finn, and her sister, Paige. They, along with everyone else, stared when Rey reached for another roll that she promptly dipped into her gravy,

“Wow, kid, you eat like a trucker,” Han mused, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone as tiny as you put away so much food. Are you going to have room for pie?”

“Oh, most definitely. Leia knows that that’s the real reason I’m here,” she laughed, “I’ve spent a lot of years in my life hungry, so I think I’m just making up for lost time.” She had never told anyone about her past before. She knew that someday, it was bound to come up in conversation but she had avoided it so well up until this point. She looked across the table and locked eyes with Ben who offered her a half smile,

“Want a slice?”

“Pecan please!” she beamed back at him. 

 

_This man knows the way to my heart…dessert._

 

“Whipped cream?” Ben inquired with a sly smile.

 

_Dear God, yes._

 

“Yes please, thank you.”

Ben’s eyes never left her own as he plopped a dollop of whipped cream on top of the slice of pie and handed it across the table to her waiting hands. Their fingers brushed briefly as she tried to take the plate, causing the whipped cream to get on both of their hands. Ben’s gaze darkened as he lifted his hand to his mouth, running his tongue along the side of his forefinger before sucking the creamy topping off of the tip with his plush lips.

Rey coughed and focused her attention on the plate in front of her, driving her fork into the center and shoveling the pie into her mouth. Suddenly, she was ravenous again, but not for pie. 

“Han, this pie is amazing,” she sputtered with her mouth full. Everyone had continued their conversations and it didn’t seem like any of them had noticed the interaction between Ben and her just now.

_What the hell was that?_

“Rey, dear, what did you mean by ‘making up for lost time?’” Leia asked curiously. Rey’s heart thumped in her chest. The Solos were the closest thing she’d ever had to a real family. If she was going to tell anyone, it might as well be them. 

“I haven’t really talked about it a whole lot,”

“You don’t have to tell us,” her mentor started, “I understand that each of us have a past. Sometimes it’s hard to share it.”

“No, it’s okay. You should know,” Rey took a steadying breath, staring down at the lonely pie crust on her plate, “I grew up in the foster system back in England. I was found when I was about six years old, scavenging for food from restaurant dumpsters. They didn’t know how long I had been alone, I don’t really have any memory of the time before then. I bounced around different foster homes for a while until I was taken into a home by a man named Unkar Plutt. He was absolutely awful. I knew from an early age that I would need to work hard if I ever wanted to get away. I busted my ass at school and I know it’s because of that that I was able to get a scholarship to University of Chicago. I came here when I was eighteen and never looked back.”

The entire table was silent, all eyes on her. 

“Well, that’s certainly quite the story,” the first response rang out from a sour-faced Hux, sitting across from Rey and next to Ben on the other side of the table, “Had I known that you were taking on charity cases, Leia, I would have told you my own personal sob story.”

The table erupted in a chorus of protests to what Hux said. As the table argued, Rey silently stood and began to gather dishes and walked wordlessly into the kitchen. She felt ashamed of herself for speaking of her past. She hated that anyone would see her in that way, that’s why she never brought the subject up.

_Foolish girl. If you wanted to tell Leia so badly, she has an office for those types of discussions._

She dumped the dishes into the massive farmhouse sink and began to scrub furiously at them until they gleamed and then scrubbed them some more.

“Stop that,” a deep baritone voice rumbled from behind her. She closed her eyes and took a steadying breath before she continued to clean the already sparkling plate,

“Rey,” Ben murmured her name from close behind her, “I am so sorry. Please ignore Hux. He’s a douchebag who doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” She stayed silent and stared at her soapy hands in the sink. Ben brought his hands up and rested one on her shoulder and placed the other gingerly on her waist. He was close enough now that she could feel the warmth radiating off of his large body behind her. Assured by her silence and feeling confident from their moment earlier, he decided to take a chance. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a gentle, comforting squeeze, “I am so, so sorry, sweetheart,” he murmured into her hair. 

Rey turned around slowly in his arms while her heart thundered in her rib cage . She placed a soapy hand on his chest as he placed a hand under her chin and lifted her gaze to meet his bourbon-colored eyes. She took a shaky breath as he tucked her chestnut hair behind her ear and gathered her head in his hand. She silently studied every beauty mark that was scattered across his face as he slowly leaned down to press his forehead to hers,

 

“My brave, sweet girl,” he murmured, his voice barely a whisper.

 

_What is happening here...I thought I hated this man? This certainly doesn’t feel like hate…_

 

She lifted her head from his to look into his eyes again,

 

“Ben,” she said anxiously, “what is this?”

 

“I don’t know, but I want to find out,” he whispered, leisurely leaning his face towards hers as his eyes flickered towards her mouth,

“Hey! Who’s up for some football?” Han boomed from the doorway. Using the older man’s intrusion to her advantage, Rey quickly slid out from Ben’s arms and beamed at the older man,

“I definitely am!”

“Have you played before?” the older Solo questioned as he tossed a football towards her. Rey caught the ball easily in her hands,

“I’ve dabbled here and there,” she shrugged casually.

 

______________________

 

Rey was happy for the momentary distraction. She needed some time to decide what in the hell had just happened between her and her supposed sworn enemy back in the kitchen. Okay, sworn enemy was most definitely not the right word. She may have thought that after she first met him, but certainly not anymore. He really wasn’t all that bad underneath that asshole mask he wore. If she was being honest with herself, she enjoyed their banter at work and her days would be dull without it. Was this sweet, gentle man who he really was? 

She followed the group into the sprawling backyard. There was a row of lounge chairs lining the edge of a pool that was covered for the season, multiple plush seating areas, and behind it all was a expansive yard leading up to the most breathtaking view of Lake Michigan stretching out beyond the horizon. 

“Need some help with that ball, Sunshine?” Poe continued to shamelessly flirt with her, bumping her shoulder with his own and tossing her a wink.

“I think I’ve got a pretty good handle on it. Go long,” Rey challenged. Poe jogged towards the line of the lake as Rey hurled the ball in a perfect spiral. The man had to increase his pace to catch the ball, stunned.

“I want Rey on my team!” Han hollered, clapping a hand on her shoulder, “That was one hell of a pass. They won’t know what hit ‘em.”

The group split into two teams. Rey, Han, Finn, and Poe were on one team with Ben, Hux, Rose and Paige on the other. Leia and Luke perched on the sidelines and declared themselves the referees. The teams lined up facing each other, Ben made a point to be face to face with Rey,

“You’re going down, Solo,” she grinned as she threw her hair up into a messy bun.

“Oh, I look forward to it,” he growled darkly. Rey let out a strangled laugh and bit her lip, suddenly hungry again.

_Focus, Rey, focus. It’s game time._

She scrambled after the snap, finding her target quickly. Poe caught the ball effortlessly. Touchdown. Ben’s team took possession of the ball. He tossed it to Hux to run it but Han tagged him just short of the goal line. Their ball again, Rey completed another perfect pass to Finn. Touchdown. The cycle continued for three more scores, Rey always moving too quickly for anyone on the opposing team to tag her. That didn’t last much longer before someone in particular figured out how she played.

Rey received the snap again and quickly tossed the ball to Finn to run it before she suddenly found herself wrapped up in the large arms of Ben Solo,

“I know what you’re up to now, sweetheart,” he crooned in her ear as he lifted her easily off of her feet,

 

“Do you?” she breathed.

 

“Football now, hug later,” Han said gruffly, shaking them from their trance for the second time that day.

 

“You got it, boss,” Rey laughed, tearing off her sweater and tossing it to Leia on the sidelines, revealing a thin, black lace camisole. It was a chilly day, but she was suddenly too warm for any extra layers.

She found herself distracted by Ben’s lingering gaze. She missed the snap more than once, dropping the ball on the ground. Her opposition took advantage of it and ran the ball in to score. He kept his eyes on her as she caught the next snap from Finn, looking ahead for Poe to receive the catch. Before she knew it, she was flat on her back with Ben on top of her,

“Got you again,” he murmured.

“Ben,” she said breathlessly, “It’s two-hand touch. Not tackle football.”

“I know,” he smirked as he held her waist firmly with his strong hands and lifted her back onto her feet.

 

The teams lined up once more. The game was tied up and Ben’s team had the ball. He caught the snap and threw the ball to Hux. Rey leapt with all her might and, to her astonishment, intercepted the ball. Without thinking, she began to run towards the goal line. It was right within her sights when she was grabbed from behind and was brutally thrown to the ground. She landed with a hard thud and felt a searing pain in her shoulder and her ankle. She angrily pushed a heavy body off of her and glared up into the sneering face of Hux,

“I wasn’t about to let you take something else from me, girl,” he snickered before he was unceremoniously shoved away from her,

“What the fuck, Hux?” Ben thundered. The ginger looked bewildered,

“Solo, you had just done it, I certainly don’t see what the big deal is.”

“You could have hurt her! FUCK!”

“Yeah, about that,” Rey chimed in softly, “do you mind helping me up? I think I’ve twisted my ankle.” Ben glared at Hux, seething over his actions before turning his attention to Rey who was still crumpled in a pile on the ground. He gingerly knelt down beside her and examined her injuries. She had a cut on her slender shoulder that had started to bleed and a blossoming bruise on her cheek,

“Fuck. You had quite the landing, didn’t you, sweetheart? Come on,” he wrapped his arm across her back and under her shoulders to help lift her onto her feet, “let’s go take a look at that ankle.”

“Hey, Ben,” Han jogged to catch up with the pair as Ben guided Rey towards the house, “do ya want me to take care of that Hux kid?”

“No, Dad, I’ll talk to him when I come back down.”

“Okay. Rey, I’m really sorry that happened. Do ya think you’ll be okay?” Han inquired after the patient,

“Oh, I’ll be good. I’m one tough cookie, plus I’ve got Dr. Solo here to help me,” she smiled through her pain as she hobbled on her injured ankle.

“Okay, this is taking way too long, up you go,” Ben groused. He suddenly bent down and easily lifted Rey up into his arms and ducked into the doorway. Rey’s heart beat wildly in her chest as he carried her up the winding staircase, reveling in the closeness between them. She knew that he was built but she didn’t have any idea just how strong he was. She wrapped her arms around his neck, the spicy smell of his aftershave overwhelming her senses. He hadn’t even broken a sweat as he came to the top of the stairs and turned the corner into an expansive bathroom. Ben gently sat her on the counter, bent down to her level and looked seriously into her eyes,

“Don’t move.”

“I won’t,” she breathed.

He swept out of the room and left her alone with her thoughts. 

_Think of anything. Anything else. Think of anything besides what’s happening right now._

She fixated her attention on the shining room around her. It was nothing short of luxurious. The walls were a stark white and the floors were a stunning sandstone herringbone. She sat on a gleaming marble counter next to a vase of sunset colored dahlias. She bent down to smell the beautiful blossoms when Ben flew back into the room with a first aid kit and an ice pack in his hands. 

Wordlessly, he knelt down by her feet and began to untie the converse her injured foot. He gently pulled the shoe off then followed it with her sock. Rey leaned her head against the cool mirror at her back and let out a hiss of pain as he delicately ran his hot hands over the skin on her ankle,

“There’s no bruising, that’s good. It looks like it isn’t sprained,” Ben observed. He rubbed his thumbs in slow circles over the sore spot and pressed a gentle kiss to the skin there. He lifted an elastic bandage from the kit and proceeded to carefully wrap her injury. When he was finished, he turned his attention to her shoulder, cleaning and covering it with a bandage. Then he came closer to her, placing a gentle hand onto her face and inspected the growing bruise on her cheek, caressing it with his warm fingers.

“Ben?” Rey murmured, barely a whisper, “Why are you doing this?”

 

“It’s what friends do,” he shrugged.

 

“But, we aren’t friends.”

 

He tore his gaze away from her bruised cheek and gazed unblinkingly into her eyes,

 

“No, I don’t suppose we are,” he breathed, bringing his face closer to hers, “friends don’t do this.”

 

Ben’s eyes flickered over her face, counting every glorious freckle that graced her face until they settled on her mouth. He lifted his eyes back up to hers, asking a silent question. He barely had to wait a moment before Rey answered it for him as she closed the space between them to press a soft kiss to his lips. She pulled away in an instant, eyes wide, and wondered if she had done the wrong thing. Maybe she had read this all wrong.

“Don’t stop. Please don’t ever stop,” Ben growled, pulling her mouth back to his. Their kiss began slowly. This was new and they took the time to explore each other. Ben moved his mouth softly over hers, tasting the sweet nectar of her lips on his. He tentatively ran his tongue along the seam of her mouth, begging for entrance. Rey willingly opened herself to him, making herself pliant for him to plunder her mouth with his tongue. She pulled him closer, fisting her hands in his obsidian hair, the locks as soft as silk between her aching fingers. He let out a primal groan against her mouth as she shamelessly nipped at his plush lower lip with her teeth. They lost themselves to the feverish rhythm of their kiss, neither of them willing to break away from these delicious new sensations. 

Ben was the first to tear himself away, pulling her hair down from it’s perch on top of her head. He took a handful of her hair and tugged her head to expose the expanse of bronzed skin along her neck and shoulder. He raked his stubble across her jawline as he peppered kisses along the line of her throat.

“Friends don’t kiss like that,” she whimpered, “do it again.”

Ben’s eyes sparkled and he lit up with a face-splitting grin. More than happy to oblige her, he captured her mouth with his once more. They continued to explore each other that way, each worshiping the other like a thirsty man who had been trapped in the desert would worship water, each kiss making them hungrier for more. Ben claimed her collar bones with his mouth and ran his hands up her silky cardigan with a gravelly moan, marveling with a thrill that she was completely bare underneath it, when a cough unexpectedly rang out from the doorway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Checking in on 3/29/19...I am blown away by the response to this fic and I am thrilled that people are still reading it!


	2. Out of the Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What if this was the belonging she had been seeking for so long? She had never felt anything before like she had with him and she was hungry to explore it further. Something that felt so right surely couldn’t be wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated on 1/2/19 to split this monster into more manageable chapters.
> 
> As always, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to leave comments and kudos, they mean so much to me!!

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/144005946@N02/45662893525/in/dateposted-public/)

 

“You’ll never believe what I just saw.”

Han sidled up to his wife in the driveway as she watched her guests that were in the middle of a true “midwestern goodbye”. The group of young people had been leaning up against their cars for the last fifteen minutes and still hadn’t managed to wrap up their farewells and it would probably be another twenty minutes, at least.

“What was that?” Leia queried.

“I was taking Rey’s sweater upstairs to her and to see how the patient was doing. And let me tell you, Leia, the kid is doing just fine,” Han said with a smirk.

“Wait, what? What you do you mean? Were they...”

“All I’m saying is that they shouldn’t have left the door open,” he winked, quickly sobering himself as Rey stumbled out of the door, pulling her leather jacket on over her freshly returned sweater. She gave Han and Leia a jarring hug,

“Thank you so much for having me, I’ll see you Monday” she stammered, cheeks flushed, making a quick run for the goodbye group in the driveway. Ben followed only a moment behind her and leaned his broad shoulders against the doorframe, raptly gazing at Rey as she said her farewells to the other guests. Han briefly glanced back at his son, quickly making eye contact with him. Ben curtly shook his head as to say, 

_“This is not the time.”_

He felt slightly miffed at himself at being discovered with a girl by his father like he was still a teenager. Kissing Rey like that had been at the center of his daydreams for the better part of a year and he was sorely disappointed that it had ended so abruptly. When the two of them were startled from their heated tryst, Rey shoved him away like he had the plague. She bolted out of the room, sore ankle forgotten. He watched her now, the pink bloom still fresh on her cheeks, as she awkwardly hugged the other guests goodbye. She practically ran to her car, opened the door and stopped for a moment to meet his intensely burning gaze. 

Without a second thought, Ben purposefully strode across the driveway towards her and caught her elbow in his grasp as she was beginning to duck into her vehicle. He pulled her up towards him and she looked up at him defiantly. He ran his thumb along the graze on her cheek, biting his lip as he tucked her hair behind her ear. He bent down and whispered softly in her ear,

“Rey, I want you to join me,” he implored her, “please.”

Her gaze softened as she looked up into his desperate eyes. Should she stay? What would happen if she did? She was frightened that acting on these feelings, no matter how right they felt in the moment, would destroy everything that she had been working so hard for for so many years. To her body, it felt like the most natural thing in the world. To her mind, it was an entirely different story. She was terrified. Terrified of these feelings that she had never felt before. She had craved being a part of family but after all the heartache that she had suffered her entire life, she was afraid that it could so easily be ripped away in a flash. Ben continued to stare down at her, completely raw and vulnerable. Each emotion he was experiencing with her was displayed clearly across his features. She was intrigued. What if this was the belonging she had been seeking for so long? She had never felt anything before like she had with him and she was hungry to explore it further. Something that felt so right surely couldn’t be wrong. 

 

_Stay. You need to stay. You need him. He needs you. You need each other._

 

“Well fuck me,” Rey’s eyes narrow as she looked around Ben’s shoulder to the glowering face of Hux, arms crossed across his chest.

_Not this asshole again._

“That scavenger has her finger in all sorts of Solo-pies, doesn’t she? I knew a sob story wouldn’t be enough, you always have to be sucking someone off to get a good job nowadays.”

Rey immediately fumed and wanted to plant her fist in Hux’s face, but she didn’t even get the chance. It happened in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment. 

In a flurry of muscle and black hair, Ben swung his formidable fist and connected it with Hux’s mouth. The ginger recovered quickly and got in a swift hit to Ben’s cheek, glancing up towards his eye. Ben hissed in pain and drew back his arm to take another swing when Han and Poe jumped in to separate the two men. 

Hux scowled at Ben, swaying slightly from the blow he took to the head as he shrugged off Poe’s arms from around his shoulders. He smoothed back his back his disheveled hair and adjusted his jacket,

“Let’s not pretend that this ‘Man of Honor’ act is who you really are,” he sneered as he straightened his cuff links and spat a glob of blood onto the gravel driveway, “Do they know about who you were when you were with the First Order? Do they know what you did?” Hux took a threatening step towards Ben and gave him a piercing, black look,

“Do they know who Kylo is?”

Ben, who until now had been glaring darkly at Hux, had a sudden flash of fear behind his eyes,

“That doesn’t matter anymore, it’s in the past.”

“You think that now, but I would bet money that that naïve girl will think differently of you if she were to ever find out,” he scoffed. 

Ben seethed, his teeth bared in a grimace, as he charged towards Hux. Han jumped in front of his son and pushed him back,

“That’s enough!” the older man hollered. 

Ben opened his mouth to argue with his father but decided against it. He turned on his heel and stormed away to the back of the house with a thunderous look on his face. Hux gave a momentary haughty chuckle before receiving a dark look from the elder Solo,

“What the fuck are you laughing at, Ginger? Get your soulless ass off my property before I change my mind about letting my kid beat the ever-living shit out of you.”

Rey had never seen someone jump into their car so quickly. The scrawny man fled to his crimson Lexus and sped off down the long driveway as fast as he could. 

The dust settled quickly. The remaining guests piled into their respective vehicles, leaving Rey alone with the Solos. Han shifted uncomfortably before announcing,

“I’m going to go inside and make a turkey sandwich! Leia, can you give me a hand?”

“What, did you forget how to put meat in-between two slices of bread?” Leia asked quizzically. Han gave her a look. Her eyes widened suddenly, “Oh, right, yes! I’d be happy to help!”

Leia turned to Rey and smiled,

“Sunshine, would you be a dear and go check on Ben please? I think that he probably needs to be checked out after that hit he took.”

“Yes, of course, I’d be happy to,” Rey agreed, “Any idea where he may have gone?”

“Just follow the path down to the lake, I’m sure he will be down there.”

Rey followed Han and Leia into the house and bounded up the winding staircase to the upstairs bathroom to retrieve the first aid kit before heading back downstairs and out to the expansive back yard. The cool breeze from Lake Michigan ruffled her hair around the collar of her jacket as she looked around her to see any sign of Ben. 

_Leia said to follow the path…_

Nestled on the edge of the yard between a group of trees was the beginning of a limestone walkway. Rey thought her chances were good that this was the path that Leia was referring to and followed it through the trees. The pathway curved and turned into wide, stone steps. As she descended, she could hear the rushing sound of waves against a pebbled beach. Rey emerged from the tree-lined path onto a wide beach along the cool waters of the lake. A little ways up the beach was a wooden boardwalk that led to a quaint boathouse. It looked like a miniaturized version of the the massive house that was on the hill above her.   
Rey walked along the planked walkway towards the white building, marveling at the wide windows framed by black shutters and the beautiful upper balcony. Sitting alone on the balcony was one Ben Solo.

She wandered through the doorway and found her way around the stored boats to a flight of stairs to the guest house that was situated on the upper floor. At the top of the stairs was a light and airy bedroom with an oversized bed and comfortable-looking sitting area. The French doors to the balcony were open to the breathtaking view of Lake Michigan and the breeze was wafting in, making the sheer curtains float in the air like silken clouds. Rey carefully walked through the doors and onto the balcony to where Ben was sitting. He had his head in his hands and was staring and his shoes. She sidled up beside him and gave his knee a gentle nudge with with her own,

“Hey.”

Ben glanced up at her with a forlorn look,

“Rey,” he breathed, “I’m so sorry you had to hear that. It was so long ago, I’ve learned from my mistakes. That’s not who I am anymore,”

Rey stepped in front of him and took his face in her hands,

“Ben, stop,” she implored him, “We all have a past, I should know. I don’t care who you were before. All that matters is the man I see here in front of me.” She traced the edge of the fresh wound on his cheek that ran from the bottom of his right eye down to his jaw,

“Right now that man needs to be fixed up. Jesus Christ, was Hux wearing a diamond or something?” she questioned incredulously.

“Probably,” Ben grumbled, hissing as Rey dabbed at it with an antiseptic.

“It’s not too bad. If you’re lucky, you may end up with a dashing scar,” she chuckled as she gingerly inspected her handiwork. Her hands began to wander, tracing the lines of his face and connecting each beauty mark that was scattered on his face like they were the stars in the sky. Ben placed his hand on her waist and closed his eyes as she continued her exploration across his brow and down his left cheek until she came to his mouth. He groaned as Rey ran her fingers along the line of his bottom lip. He captured her hand in his own and pressed an aching kiss to the tips of her fingers, opening his brandy-colored eyes and staring up at her hungrily. Rey’s heart fluttered as Ben pulled her towards him and into his lap. He held her close and ran his thumb across her cheek and brought his large hand up to grip her hair and bring her mouth to his.

He poured his need for her into the kiss, grazing his tongue along the seam of her mouth. She sighed into him and eased her mouth open, swirling her tongue along his. Ben skimmed his hands down her torso and slid them under the hem of her camisole, running his hands along the bare skin of her back. Rey twisted in his lap and straddled him, framing his wide thighs with her own. She rolled her body against his, whimpering as she pressed herself along the hardening length in his jeans. Ben groaned and raked his mouth along the edge of her jaw, devouring the creamy flesh under her ear. Rey trembled as she encircled her arms around his expansive shoulders, nearly coming apart from the heat of their mutual hunger for each other. He circled the tender lobe of her ear with his tongue and growled,

“Not here,”

Ben hugged the curve of her ass with his powerful hands and stood, easily lifting her from the chair they had been occupying and strode into the adjacent room. He gently let her down onto her feet at the edge of the bed. Rey reached up and ran her hands down the expanse of his chest, reaching the hem at his waist and firmly grasping ahold of it. Breaking their heated gaze only for a moment, she pulled the soft black fabric up and over his head and discarded the garment onto the floor. She stared hungrily at the planes of hard muscle along his chest and torso. 

_Honestly, looking that good should be illegal._

The same beauty marks that were scattered along his face continued down his neck and onto his chest, creating a beautiful constellation across his fair skin. Rey lifted her hand and traced the tip of her finger from mark to mark along his neck, stretching on her tip toes to seal each touch with a kiss. Ben let out a gravelly moan into Rey’s hair as she eagerly continued her exploration down his chest and down his torso, placing molten kisses across every inch of his exposed skin. Each time she pressed her soft lips to his flesh, a jolt would run through his body and filled him with an intense need to throw her on the bed and worship her properly. Rey looked up at Ben through her lashes coquettishly, and nuzzled her nose against the soft trail of hair beneath his navel that lead into his jeans. With a feral growl, Ben wrapped his muscular arms around Rey and whirled her around so his body was pressed up against her back.

“It’s my turn now, Sweetheart,”

He slowly hooked his fingers into the collar of her camel-colored leather jacket and gently tugged it down her shoulders and off of her arms, tossing it to the floor with his discarded shirt. He gingerly swept her chestnut waves off of her bare shoulder and claimed the sumptuous flesh along her neck with his mouth. He dragged his teeth across the curves of her shoulder, making Rey whimper and tremble beneath his touch. Ben captured the lower hem of her cream-colored sweater and pulled it up over her head and pitched it onto the growing pile of clothing at their feet, exposing her delicate black camisole underneath. Rey reached her arms back and tangled her fingers into his dark hair as Ben blissfully devoured her freckled skin. Yearning to taste his mouth again, she turned in his arms and placed a languorous kiss on his lips, swirling her tongue against his. Her apprehension she had felt only moments before when she questioned if she should stay was momentarily forgotten. All she knew was that the sensations she was experiencing in this moment felt right. The fevered dance of their mouths and hands felt like the most natural thing in the world. Rey tore herself away from his mouth and looked up at him with a wild look in her eye,

“Ben,” she breathed, “I don’t know what this is that’s happening between us. I don’t know what’s going to happen. All I know is I want this. I want you,” she reached for the lace edge of her camisole and stripped it up over her head, leaving her bare from the waist up for him to see. Ben choked out a moan at the sight of her, sparking a ravenous hunger inside him. He captured her in his arms, lifting her easily and laid her across the plush bedspread. 

Ben balanced himself over Rey on the bed, searching her eyes with his own. He was a tangled mess of emotions, thrilled that the daydreams he would shamefully pleasure himself to late at night were coming true and anxious to do right by the girl he may already love. Here was this girl who was his equal in every way, laid out like a goddess before him. His heart had broken for her when she shared the details of her past and he wanted nothing more than to show her that in this moment, she was loved.

He captured her mouth in a searing kiss before his mouth began to wander, needing to delve into the valleys of her collar bones. He slowly explored each curve, brushing his nose across the sea of freckles sprinkled over her bronzed flesh, intoxicated by the sweet scent of Rey and lavender. His body burned at the feeling of her bare skin against his, pulling his hands down to gently cup the soft mounds of her breasts. He thumbed her nipple and felt it pebble easily under his touch. Rey whimpered as he devoured her breast with his hot mouth, flicking the sensitive peak with his tongue,

“I’m sorry they aren’t bigger,” Rey sighed.

“Don’t you dare,” he growled, “you are absolute perfection.”

Ben lifted his body from hers, making her cry out from the sudden loss of his body heat. He cupped her thighs and slowly trained his hands down the length of her legs down to her shoes. He deftly untied her black converses, pulled them off her feet and tossed them to the floor. Leaning above her form once, more, his eyes burned into hers as he slowly unclasped the button of her jeans. He reached his large hand behind her, tucking them under the waistband and slowly pulled them down over the curve of her ass. Her jeans were quickly discarded onto the floor with the rest of their clothes, leaving her glowing on the bedspread in only her black lace thong. Ben skimmed his mouth up along her leg until he reached the apex of her thighs. He caressed the surface of her panties with his nose, inhaling the sweet scent of her arousal. Twining the top edge of her thong around his fingers, he slowly dragged the lacy fabric down her lean legs and over her feet. 

He stood before her, marveling at her beauty as she was laid out completely bare before him. He undid the clasp on his jeans and let them and his undergarments fall to the floor, allowing his pulsing erection spring free. He knelt down before her, exploring her thigh with his mouth, planting a trail of hot kisses as he made his way towards her center. Rey spread her legs apart, leaving him full access to her increasingly moist pussy. Ben slowly lowered his mouth towards the mound of her sex, breathing in the scent of her arousal like a drug. He met her folds with his nose first, nuzzled around her clit with his nose, making a whimper escape from Rey’s lips as she squirmed underneath him to further close the distance between her core and his mouth. 

Encouraged by her reaction, Ben enveloped her sex with his mouth. He enthusiastically lapped at her folds and Rey’s body instantly arched beneath his touch. He worshiped her center with his mouth, swirling his tongue around her clit with a wild abandon. Rey shivered and let out a heady moan as he pressed a finger into her entrance. He let out a growl as he felt her clench around his fingers as he stretched her, curling them up as he pumped his wrist in and out. He slide a second digit inside her while he continued to plunder her sensitive bud with his tongue, intoxicated by how her body fluttered around his fingers and savoring the growing wetness between her legs. He continued to relentlessly worship her sex as she began to wildly unravel under his touch. Her pleasure built within her, climbing ever faster until she tumbled down, falling to pieces beneath him, crying out as she crashed over the precipice.   
Rey trembled beneath him as he rose up, taking himself in his hand as he gazed down upon her,

“Fuck. You are so beautiful, Rey,” Ben marveled with a growl. 

Rey looked up at him hungrily from under her lashes, reaching up to grasp his hand in her own, pulling him down towards her. Ben gathered her up in his arms and lifted her into his lap, capturing her mouth in a searing kiss. His arms caged around her waist, he slowly lowered her onto his shaft. He let out a low groan as he sheathed himself to the hilt within her core, her body stretching to receive him. She began slowly, rocking her body against his, boldly meeting him thrust for thrust. Rey cherished the closeness between them, entwined in each other’s arms as they moved together. She had been with others before, but never like this. Never this intimate. This felt like so much more. Ben traced the edge of her mouth with his own, swallowing her chorus of moans and whimpers as she clung to his shoulders, her fingers tangled in his inky locks. His mouth travelled along the edge of her jaw, claiming every freckle with a swirl of his tongue and a graze of his teeth. Rey let out scorching cry when he gently bit down on her soft flesh, savoring the taste of her skin against his tongue,

“Oh fuck, Ben!”

She continued to roll her body against his relentlessly as her sex began to clench around him again, coming apart once more in his arms. Ben let out a low groan as his movements slowed, becoming erratic as her met her at the precipice, spilling into her with a shiver. He held her close as he tumbled with her onto the soft blankets, folding her into his wide chest,

“I can’t tell you how long I’ve thought about this moment,” he sighed as he nuzzled his nose into her hair. 

“With me?” Rey whispered disbelievingly, her fears once again returning, “Why? Ben, I thought you hated me only a few hours ago,”. Ben let out a low hum and reached between them, cupping her chin and tilting her gaze up to meet his own,

“I could never hate you,”

_Because I think I love you._

Rey gave him a soft smile and pressed her lips softly to his. She wouldn’t overthink it, not right now. She needed to stay in this moment, this moment where she felt safe and cherished in his strong arms. She closed her eyes and nestled her head against his chest as they laid there intertwined together, basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking. 

 

Rey wasn’t sure how much time had gone by, but when she opened her eyes, it was dark and she was pinned beneath something heavy. She gently squirmed and Ben groaned in protest, circling his arms around her like a boa constrictor. She let out a quiet laugh as she looked up at his sleeping form. His face was completely relaxed and his dark hair hung messily over his eyes. She kissed his bicep before gingerly lifting the heavy thing off of her, quietly slipping out from underneath him. She silently dressed, watching him sleep peacefully as she shrugged her jacket over her shoulders and wrapped her plaid scarf around her neck. She quickly glanced at her phone before she pocketed it,

_8:50_

 

They had been down in the boat house for nearly three hours. The other guests were long gone and Han and Leia were probably wondering where they had gone off to.   
Grabbing a silky soft blanket from the sofa by the window, she gently placed it over Ben’s tranquilly sleeping form. She placed a kiss in his hair before making her way silently down the stairs and out to the beach. 

Rey climbed back up the limestone stairs towards the sound of Han, Leia, and a crackling fire. She made her way across the expansive yard towards the bright, flickering light of the flames. As she got closer, Leia called to her,

“Sunshine!! We’ve been missing you! Come, come! Grab a blanket and sit with us!” Rey smiled warmly at the older couple as they sat together in a double Adirondack chair, Han’s arm slung over his wife’s shoulder. The older man nuzzled Leia’s ear and she let out a girlish giggle,

“I can’t stay for long, I feel like I’ve far overstayed my welcome,” she shrugged aimlessly, not wanting to impose on them any longer than she had already.

“Nonsense!” Han smirked, “You’re practically family, kid. Our home is your home whenever you need.”

Rey let out a happy sigh and listened to the Solo matriarch, grabbing a pair of flannel blankets from a nearby basket. She gingerly laid one on the ground and wrapped herself up in the other, bracing herself against the chill of the fall air. She had been a lot warmer only moments ago, wrapped up in the arms of their son. 

Ben.

Her heart ached when she thought about how she left him asleep and alone in the boathouse, feeling guilty at what may go through his mind when he would eventually wake up without her. She knew she’d feel broken and abandoned if he had done the same to her after what they shared, but those were her own insecurities and her past at work. 

“Rey?”

Leia’s voice pulled her suddenly from her rumination.

“Mmm?”

“We lost you there for a second, where’d you go?” Leia inquired,

“Oh, just thinking is all. It’s been a long day,” she smiled.

“You must be exhausted, poor thing,” her mentor grinned, “You can stay here tonight if you need, of course.”

“Oh, I couldn’t possibly, but thank you.” Rey sputtered.

“How about for a s’more?” Han waggled his eyebrows at her, holding up a bag of Jet-Puffed Jumbo marshmallows. Rey let out a deep laugh, shaking her head at the fact that they were taking advantage of her sweet tooth in order to bribe her to stay,

“Okay, you’ve got me,” she held up her hands in surrender, “you had me at ‘sugar’.”

Han tossed her the bag of marshmallows over the fire. Rey pierced the sugary treat onto the tip of the roasting fork that Leia offered to her and started to gently rotate it in front of the fire. She watched the marshmallow intently as she turned the cool metal in her hands meticulously, getting lost in her thoughts once more. 

 

What she and Ben had shared was special, there was no doubt about that. She had never felt a closeness with another person that even came close to their time in the boathouse. She tilted her head and remembered with a shiver the memory of his mouth lavishly tracing the line of her throat. Her body had been so responsive to his touch, every caress had lit her flesh on fire, but what did it mean for them moving forward? They weren’t friends, that was for sure. Was this a one time thing, or did they have a future? It didn’t feel like what a fling normally would. It was close, romantic, and so incredibly intimate but the thought of forming a relationship with Ben terrified her. She had avoided committing to relationships for fear of them crumbling down around her like everything else had in her past. The only constant good thing she had in her life was her career and she had fought tooth and nail to get where she was. Would becoming involved with her partner, not to mention the boss’s son, damage what she had worked so hard for? She imagined the two of them together at work, becoming the topic of disgusting office gossip and getting into petty arguments like they were prone to do. All of it was bound to go up in flames. Nothing good ever lasted.

And, OH, it was good, but it was so out of the blue. It was hard to trust a good thing when you didn’t see it coming. She accepted that she’d never find love without the possibility of the danger of her heart being broken. She knew that if she allowed herself to fall hard, something she could do easily with Ben, the harder she would break when it all burned to the ground. 

Burning. Fire.

“Shit!” Rey’s marshmallow had suddenly gone from golden brown to a flaming sugar-torch at the end of her roasting fork. She gently blew out the flames and gingerly pulled the gooey mess from the tip of the fork and stuffed the scorching sweet into her mouth. There were still bits of marshmallow at the end of the metal rod, so she picked at the sugary mess and pulled off sticky strings of the confection with her hand. Before she could lick the mess off of her fingers, a large hand closed around her wrist.

“Burnt marshmallow is my favorite, you know,” Ben smiled mischievously down at her. Keeping her wrist in his grasp, he sat down behind her and circled his free arm around her waist, lifting her effortlessly and setting her comfortably in his lap, “and it’s frowned upon not to share,” he grinned. Her eyes widened and her mouth formed a silent ‘oh’ as he took her hand and slowly sucked the sticky sugar off of her fingers one by one. She turned her body to face him as best as she could and found his eyes burning into her own as he licked his lips. His gazed flickered down to her mouth. He reached up his hand and brushed the edge of her top lip, “You have a little leftover here too, let me help you with that,” he murmured huskily, bringing his mouth to hers, running his tongue over the seam of her lips and delving into her mouth. She shuddered beneath his touch, tasting the sweetness of the marshmallow on his soft lips. Rey quickly tore herself away,

“Ben,” she gasped, “your parents!” She looked over to the older couple who were nestled together across the fire. Han sat gobsmacked as Leia furiously elbowed her husband in the ribs with a victorious grin on her face,

“I can’t keep what I feel for you a secret, not anymore. Plus, I have an inkling that my mother had already had a feeling about what would happen between us for quite some time,” he murmured into her ear, nuzzling the soft flesh there with his nose.

Rey let out an exasperated laugh. Leia was a smart woman, she had to have known what she was doing when she paired the two of them up together so many months before. Maybe getting involved with the boss’s son wouldn’t have the disastrous effect on her career that she was worried so about. She decided right then and there to stop fretting about the future and to cherish the moment she was tangled in right now. Wrapped in Ben’s arms, she nestled her body closer to his broad chest, leaning her head into the space against his cheek. In this moment she felt safe.

She felt loved.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for joining me on this little romp! Rey and Ben will return in another holiday-themed one-shot in December for "Mistletoe Kisses and Christmas Wishes"
> 
>  
> 
> Give the Fall Into Me playlist a listen!


End file.
